ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro (Contributed photo)

ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro is demanding accountability public apology from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) for issuing a memorandum ordering her "surveillance" based on red-tagging allegations from former Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr.'s Facebook post.

"This is a dangerous and malicious act of red-tagging by the BJMP. They are using an unverified social media post from a discredited source to justify surveillance and monitoring of a sitting member of Congress and political prisoners," Castro said in a statement Monday afternoon, Jan. 13.

The Makabayan bloc congresswoman demanded an immediate retraction of the memo and a formal public apology from the BJMP. 

"This memorandum demonstrates how red-tagging endangers lives and violates human rights. The BJMP must be held accountable for this irresponsible action that puts my safety and that of political prisoners at risk," she said.

"If the BJMP fails to retract this memo and issue a public apology, we will not hesitate to file appropriate charges, including administrative cases and claims for damages," warned Castro 

Former ACT-CIS Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio backed up Castro's remarks: "Red-tagging is not only illegal but also grounds for damages."

"BJMP officials can be held criminally, administratively, and civilly liable for relying on allegations from Parlade, who, along with Lorraine Badoy, was found guilty by the Ombudsman in March 2023 for conduct prejudicial to public service due to red-tagging," Tinio explained.

Parlade is a former spokesman of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), which the Makabayan has accused of red-tagging.